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Our attention has been drawn to a spin job on page 15 of May Day Edition of ThisDay newspapers, in which one Abdulmajeed Hassan tried to paint the current administration black as a labour-enemy government. His efforts at inciting the organized labour against government by whipping up sentiments hit the brickworks when he made a strenuous attempt to arrogate the failed era of the Wada Administration, a modicum of goodness as regards workers’ welfare.
In as much as we know Abdulmajeed Hassan is a shade constructed to protect an already bad eye, his write-up has offered us the opportunity to free those still hypnotized by the worst regime in the history of the state, an era in which the state was perpetually hibernated, abused, misgoverned and its people taken for a ride. No matter how we
dress a monkey, its tail will always make it different from a human.
Those who were in Kogi State between 2012 and 2016 January will attest to the communication gap between labour and government. Workers were owed salaries without explanations. Workers were paid as low as 10% of their monthly wages without the Courtesy of been made to know why. Democracy is about constructive engagements and government owes a sector as critical as labour, explanations for her actions.
The Governor Yahaya Bello-led administration has continued to engage labour in discussions. He has continued to pay workers that have been verified to be genuine.
Abdulmajeed Hassan should help us unravel the whereabouts of the over 10 billion naira generated between September 2015 to December 2015. The Wada Administration collected the allocations, refused to pay salaries, refused to pay contractors and refused to leave a dime in the coffers of the government. Governor Yahaya Bello did not only clear the salary arrears on assumption of office, but also ensured cleared and genuine workers were paid up to March 2017. The April salary will be paid in a couple of days.
Because of the need to clear all doubts, the State Government has published all salaries paid to each civil servant on her website, month by month, worker by worker, from September 2015(before the Governor assumed office) to March 2017. Those who are yet to be paid are people who were recently verified to be genuine and whose payment are been processed right now.
Bringing the Mecca Pilgrimage to the political turf is unfortunate. Kogi State under Governor Yahaya Bello is one of the most frugal states in the federation. State officials have been banned from frivolous tripe abroad due his determination to allow state’s resources flow into capital projects that could impact positively on the public. Compared to other States, Kogi has one of the lowest pilgrimage sponsorship.
The Staff Verification Exercise remains the only way to defeat the ghosts of corruption in the civil service. The high foams of criticism of the exercise were constructed by those who felt hit by the reforms. This category of fraudulent individuals had hidden behind the hills of corrupt ex-leaders to turn the civil service to a toxically debased sector, grossly incapable of serving the good people of Kogi State. The last four months of the Wada Administration would remain darkly indelible in the minds of the workers of Kogi State. As a responsible Governor, Alh. Yahaya Bello will restore the confidence of workers in their government. The ongoing reforms will be of multi benefits to the government, workers and the people civil servants are paid to serve.
Abdulmajeed Hassan didn’t tell Nigerians how his party leaders loaded our payrolls with names of their children who were still in Primary or Secondary schools as of the time they were employed. He didn’t tell the world how his adored heroes made away with billions of our allocations without paying workers. His disingenuous piece fell flat under the weight of logic and facts.
Wada’s desperation to cover his track may not yield fruits as the people are witnesses of how he awarded contracts to companies and pay them for doing nothing. It is no more news that Wada’s government made away with the over 2 billion naira SMEs development loan. Such can never be a hero in a state that is witnessing tremendous transformation under the present administration.
Governor Yahaya Bello has done better in two years than what Wada did in four years in terms of road development, healthcare improvement, educational advancement and agricultural renaissance. The proofs are everywhere to see.
Since Wada became jobless, his thoughts are expected to be fixed on 2019. The Governor of Kogi State is preoccupied with his determination to deliver democracy dividends to the people of the state and will never be distracted.
Kogi will never go back to the years of the locust.
Signed:
Fanwo Kingsley
Director General on Media and Publicity to the Governor
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